FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Two lawsuits have been filed against Kentucky State Police related to a traffic stop conducted in July 2024.
As seen on body camera footage obtained by LEX 18 by Christen Johnson’s attorney, Kentucky State Police Trooper Myron Jackson pulled over a woman on July 31, 2024, claiming her vehicle tag was expired.
The operator of the vehicle, Christina Calvert, pulled over in her daughter’s driveway. Once Trooper Jackson approaches Calvert, he can be seen discussing what he believes are expired tags. Meanwhile, Calvert’s daughter, Christen Johnson, approaches from inside her home.
“Go back inside for me,” Trooper Jackson tells Johnson.
“This is my mother,” she responds. “I understand, but this is my traffic stop so go back inside,” Jackson says.
In the body cam video, you can hear Johnson remark that she’s on her own property, to which Jackson responds, “I'm not going to ask again, so go back inside or you can go to jail.”
Body camera footage shows Johnson retreating to her home as the exchange between her mother and Jackson continues. A minute later, Johnson steps back out of her home, filming with her cell phone.
“Okay, I told you to go inside, you are interfering with my traffic stop,” said Jackson. “If you step back outside, you will be arrested. You will not interfere with my traffic stop. Go inside the house or I will take you from your kids and take you to jail. Go inside the house.”
As Johnson questions why she’s being told to go inside, Trooper Jackson is seen handcuffing and arresting her.
“Over what? Are you serious?” Johnson repeatedly asks as Jackson walks her to his cruiser. At one point, Johnson falls to the ground, shouting.
As Johnson pleads with the trooper that her children are left inside the home, he’s heard saying, “I gave you a chance.”
In the arrest citation, Jackson wrote in part that Johnson was “interfering by demanding information pertaining to the stop,” and called Johnson’s actions “too much of a distraction and safety concern to continue in this manner” - allegations that Johnson disputes in her lawsuit.
In April 2025, a Franklin District Court judge dismissed the charges against Johnson, finding there was no probable cause for the charges of Obstructing Governmental Operations and Resisting Arrest. Following this dismissal, Johnson has now filed a lawsuit.
“Her lawsuit is about vindicating her constitutional rights in an unlawful arrest,” said Patrick Brennan, Johnson’s attorney.
According to Brennan, what the body camera footage doesn’t show are Johnson’s three children, ages two, seven, and ten, watching the incident unfold from inside the home. He told LEX 18 that Johnson was terrified of leaving her kids alone.
“The way that I truly feel about this is, this is such a scary incident that Kentucky State Police would arrest someone for just being outside of their home and watching them,” said Brennan. “You know, I don't think there's any undoing the harm that was already done. We're just looking to remedy the violations as best as we can.”
Johnson's lawsuit, filed in federal court, alleges that Trooper Jackson and his supervisor Sergeant Jason Briscoe violated her First Amendment rights to record police activity from a safe distance, committed battery when Jackson allegedly twisted her arm and dragged her, and conducted a false arrest without probable cause.
Separately, Brennan has filed a suit against KSP in Franklin Circuit Court under the Kentucky Open Records Act, claiming the agency failed to provide requested documents related to Trooper Jackson's training, disciplinary history, and similar incidents, as well as Sergeant Briscoe’s.
“After this happened to her and the criminal charges were dismissed, we sought open records from Kentucky State Police about this trooper, about the supervisor, and looking at maybe some similar events, possibly,” said Brennan.
LEX 18 reached out to Kentucky State Police for a response to the lawsuits.
Agency spokesperson Sherry Bray said, "Kentucky State Police (KSP) is committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and morals in service to citizens of Kentucky. After KSP leadership became aware of the incident in May 2025, an internal investigation started and is ongoing. KSP is unable to comment on the ongoing investigation and pending litigation."
